Cooking device for cooking batters



Jan. 19, 1954 B. w. BADENocH 2,666,380

COOKING DEVICE FOR COOKING BATTERS Filed Aug. 18, 1948 6 Sheets-Sheet lJam 19, 1954 l B. w. BADENocH 2,666,380 COOKING DEVICE FOR COOKINGBATTERS Jan. 19, 19.54 B. w. BADENocH 2,666,380

COOKING DEVICE FOR COOKING BATTERS Filed Aug` 18, 1948 6 Sheets-Sheet 3B. W. BADENOCH COOKING DEVICE FOR COOKING BATTERS Jan. 19, 1954 FiledAug. 18,A 1948 -v 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 I zymzg I ef/mwm,

Jan. 19, 1954 B. w. BADENocH 2,666,380

COOKING DEVICE FOR COOKING BATTERS y Filed Aug. 18, 1948 6 Sheets-Sheet5 Jan-19, 1954 B. w. BADENocH- 2,666,380

COOKING` DEVICE FOR COOKING BATTERS Filed Aug. 18, 1948 6 Sheets-Sheet 6-//AvJ/Mgj/ 4 .l L27 i 5g Patented Jan. 19, 1954 UNITED lSTATES PATENTOFFICE I COOKING'DELVICE-FOR COOKING BATTERS Benjamin Wilson Badenoch,Los Angeles, Calif.,

assigner of one-'half to McGraw Electric Company, Elgin, Ill., acorporation of Delaware ApplicationfAugllSt 18, 1948, Serial N0. 44,848

'18 Claims. (Cl. 99 329) This invention relates to ycooking devices andYmore particularly toV devices yfor automatically batter inwhich-allhandling of the hot .molds or oi'. the .cooked articleis eliminated.

Itis another object'to provide a cooking .device in which. .the batterAis .cooked inv a .mold cavity formedby relatively .movable parts toloosenand `eject the .cooked .article .from .the mold. .In the preferredconstruction the cavitylisy formed in a mold -plate .having spaceddownwardly projecting fingersand having a pronged or lingered ejectingmember intertting with the -ingers on the plate andmovable relativethereto to loosen and eject the cooked article.

Still another object is to provide a cooking device in which vthe moldplate is rotatable to eject the cooked article when inverted, Yand-the4.movable `ejecting member is moved-relative-.to the mold .plate by the.inversion thereof.

Aiurther object is to :provide-.a -cooking device in which .theymold.plateiscovered to define an .ovenspace and heat is app1ied both tothe .mold

plate andthesovenspace.V According tok one fea- `ture of theinvention,.heat.is supplied by station- .aryheating elementsadiacentthemold plateand .supplying heat to the `moldplate andfoven' space `byradiation .and .conduction through .the mold plate .and the cover.

.Astill :further object is to providea cooking .device in.whichthesupply of heatisautomati- `cally .controlled in response tooven -space ternperature during a. cooking operation, .and .the .cookingoperation is terminated in response to `a predetermined temperature ofvthe mold plate. Preferably, .termination .of the cooking .operation is.accomplished by -ejecting .the .cooked article from the mold.

.Another object is to provide acooking vdevice in which the .temperatureis maintained -at one value during a cooking-operation and at a lowerwarming value when .the mold is in its yejecting position .or when'thecover is opened.

Another'object is .to vprovide .a .cooking device in which .the moldplate itself formsa part of a thermostatic control `unit. .For thisvpurpose an .elongated .rod of .different .thermal .characteristics thanthe moldplate .is connected thereto .at one end and the opposite endsvof therod and themold plate are connected to a control unit.

A further object is to provide a thermostatic control unit for a cookingdevice capable of carrying a relatively heavy latching load and whichcan be tripped by a light tripping force. In the preferred form thismechanism includes a flexible strip loaded in compression and.supportedagainst bending in one direction together with a temperatureresponsive device for bending the strip in the opposite direction.

The above and other objects and advantages of the invention will be morereadily apparent when read in connection with the accompanyingdrawings', in which Figure 1 is a plan view of an automatic cookingdevice embodying the invention;v

Figure 2 is an end elevation looking from the right of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal section on the line 3 3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a transverse section on the irregular line 4 4' of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a .partial transverse section on the line 5 5 of Figure 1;

Figure 6 is a partial section on the line 6 6 of Figure 1 showing themold in an upright position;

Figure 7 is a View similar to Figure 6 showing vthe mold inverted;

Figure 8 is a section on the line 8 8 of Figure 3;

Figure 9 is a partial view similar to Figure 8 showing the cover opened;

Figure 10 is a partial view similar to 'Figure 8 showing the moldinverted;

Figure 11 is a partial view on the line H H of Figure 10;

Figure 12 is apartial section on the line i2 i2 of Figure .8

Figure 13 is a partial view on the line .13 13 of Figure 3;

Figure 14 is a view similar to Figure 13 showing the covers opened;

Figure 15 is a perspective view ofthe heating elements and thermostaticcontrol therefor;

.Figure 16 is a bottom plan view of the mold plate with the pan removed;

Figure 17 is a perspective view of the thermostatic latch controlmechanism; and

Figures 18 and 19 are partial perspective sections showing theconstruction of the mold cavities.

The device, as illustrated, comprises an outer casing il) having at endwalls and curved side walls which areprovidedprimarily for .the purposeof appearance. rlhe base of the casing mayrest on insulating strips i Iformed of molded plastic materialv or the like for supporting the easingon a table surface. Within the casing spaced from the end walls 'thereofare upright supporting walls izfand I3 which with the casing form. aframework for supporting the operu ating mechanism. The top of thecasing is open and is closed by arcuately curved covers it which arehinged on pins i5, as seen in Figure 3.

Within the upper part of the casing is the mold structure and heatingelements to be described in detail hereinafter. For baking muiiins orthe like, the covers are swung'to an open position, batter is insertedin the molds and the covers are closed. At the end ci a baking operationthe cooked articles are ejected from'the mold which is inverted duringthe ejecting process so that the articles will drop into a receiving panI6 in the lower part of the casing. The entire casing will be warmed bythe heating elements so that the cooked articles will be kept warm inthe pan i@ until it is desired to remove them for use. For this purposeone side or" the casing is formed with a hinged door 2l provided with aheat-insulated handle 22. By opening the door the mufn pan may beclasped by insulating handles 23 and removed from the casing. Y

The mold structure The mold cavities for receiving the batter to becooked are formed in a mold plate 2li which is pivotally mounted in theupper part of the casing for turning movement about pivot supports 25and 26. The plate is preferably formed of a good heat conductingmaterial such as an aluminum casting and may be formed around its edgewith an upstanding flange 2l to prevent overflow of batter. The flangepreferably lies close to the end plates I2 and I3 and to side heatercasings to be described hereinafter to prevent any passage of spilledbatter around the plate.

The mold plate is formed with a plurality of openings therethrough, anydesired number of which may be provided,I and has around each opening aseries of downwardly and inwardly projecting fingers 2S as best seen inFigures 1S and 19. As there shown, the fingers extend downwardly andinwardly in a generally conical formation and turn inward at their lowerends 'to provide a portion of a hat bottom for the mold cavities.

The cavities are completed by a movable ejector member which is formedto intert with the lingers 28 and which includes a series of spacedfingers 2S complementary to the iingers 28 tc fit between them. Theejector member is completed by a flat bottom portion 3| cut out at itsedges to receive the lower ends of the fingers 28 so that the ejectormember can move normal to the mold plate in both directions. Preierablyguide projections 32 are formed on the mold plate to engage and guidethe upper ends of the fingers 29, and similar projections 33 areprovided at the lower ends of iingers 2B and on the bottom plate 3i othe ejector member. 'in this way the mold plate ngers and the ejectormember are accurately guided relative to each other to maintain a closeinterntting relation between them. When the mold plate and ejectormember are in register as shown in Figure 1Q, a complete mold cavityhaving a relatively smooth continuous inner surface is formed to receivebatter. During the ejecting operation, as ei:- plained hereinafter, theejector member moves relative to the mold plate, as illustrated inFigure 18, to break the cooked article away from the cavity surface.

The ejector members for each of the mold cavities are simultaneouslycontrolled by providing in the bottom of each closure member adownwardly projecting control lug Bil having an open notch therein toreceive an operating rod 35. The operating rods 35 form a part of arectangular framework having cross members 3d at its ends pivoted onextensions 3'? at the ends of the mold plate as best seen in Figure 3.One of the cross members 36 is provided with an extension 33 (Figures 6and 7) which is turned over at its outer end to engage a cam slot 3!formed in a cam plate il which is rigidly secured in the end plate i2.

When the mold is in its upright cooking position, as shown in Figures 3and 6, the rods 35 will lie in the neutral position to align the ejectormembers with the lingers on the mold plates so that the cavities are inthe condition shown in Figure 19 to receive batter. As the mold plate isinverted to the position shown in Figure 7, the cam slot 39 will rockthe framework to move they rod 35 at one side upward and simultaneouslymovethe rod 35 at the other side downward. Upon further movement,rocking or the framework will be reversed to reverse the movements ofthe rods and ejector members associated therewith. lThus by the time themold plate is completely inverted to the position of Figure 7, theejector member associated with each cavity will have moved rst in onedirection and then in the other direction to the mold plate completelyto loosen the baked article from the cavity. It will be noted thatduring movement of the ejector member downward. as shown in Figure 18,the cooked article is supported by the fingers 2B over a substantialportion of its area so that it will be stripped from the ejector memberwithout any possibility of damage. During movement in the oppositedirection, the ejector member will strip the article from the fingers 28so that when the mold plate is completely inverted the article will beloosened and will drop from the mold plate into the warming pan I6.

Mold actuation The mold plate is normally urged to its inverted positionby a spiral spring 42 connected to the pivot pin 25 and lying betweenthe end plate I2 and the end of the casing. The mold is held 1n itsupright position against turning response to the spring t2 by a latchmechanism best seen in Figure 4. This mechanism comprises a fixed latchmember 43 secured to the end plate l2 and adapted to be engaged by alatch bar 44. The latch bar is supported by a flexible spring strip 45attached at its upper end to the mold plate and at its lower end to thelower end of the latch bar 44. The spring strip 45 is preierablyreinforced through its central portion by a ange 46 so that it will exonly adjacent its upper and lower ends and normally biases the latchclockwise, as seen in Figure 4, toward its engaged position. To preventthe latch from turning too far fromiits latched position, it is formedwith an angular extension 4l which engages the, spring strip 45 to limitclockwise turning of the latch. This extension will also prevent thelatch from turning excessively in response to the latch loading thereon.

To prevent the latch from' turning clockwise about its upper eXure pointin response to the latch load, an elongated flexible column :it isprovided. The column. i8 is preferably in the form of a spring strip. Atits ends the column is formed with reduced ears which extend throughopenings in the spring strip l5 and in a fastening bracket 49 which issecured to the mold plate .to :secure the Pends of .the .icolumnfLinzpla'ce, the1fastenings1preferably being suciently loose to permitaslightamount of pivoting. The column normallytends tosbowupwardas bestseen in Figure 4, kand i its upward movementis .limited by-engagementwithk a 4stop' block 5l .carried by the mold plate. With .the partsin'theposition shown in yFigure 4, `the column can support a substantialload in compression to holdthe latch bar A44 engaged-against'the actionof the spring 42 vso that 'the mold :plate is firmly held .in theposition shown. To release the latch the flexible column r48 isbentdownward -inits central portionvso that it becomes relatively weak `inconipression and will enable the latch'bar 44'to swing away from thestop 43 in-response to the spring action-and to .theflatch load.Thisoperation is preferably performed in response tot-the temperature ofthe mold plate by the mechanism best seen in Figure 17. .Thisvmechanismcomprises an elongated-rod 52 which is formed ofafmaterial having adifferent thermo -coeflicient of expansionthan themold plate.k Onematerial which I have found to be extremely satisfactory is a glass .orceramic material having an extremely low coe'cient ofexpansion. One endofthe rod 52 seats in a socket 53 adjustably carried by the ange 31 atone end of the-mold plate. Theopposite end of the rod seatsin a socketcarried by an arm 54 formed integral with and extending at a rightanglefrom'. an elongated tripper bar55. The tripper bar is supported `byone end of a spring fastening member 56 which is vriveted to theextension `31 on the mold plate and which is biased in a direction toswing the tripper bar 55 downward.

The spring56 is formed witha slotftherein, shown in Figure 16, toreceive aprojection on the end of an adjustmentlever 51. .The adjustmentlever is pivoted at a distance approximately onethird of its lengthupward from the spring 55 on a steel spring -58 which -is fastened tothe ange 31. Above itsattachment to the spring, the lever isformedwithan offset band indicated at V.59, and the .oifsetportion is formedwith an 1 opening to receive an enlargedcircularend member 6I on the endof ya shaft .62 4which-extends through .the hollow pivot 2.6. The-offsetportion 59 of vthe lever 35-1 is formed with an 4inwardly bent tongue 63which -rests against the .-end ,5i of the Ishaft 62. kThespring 58biases vthelever ..51 upward .to hold the bottom oftheopeningthereinagainst the head 6| of theshaft52.

During operating .of the trippingmechanism when ,the .end of vtheopening in .the spring 55 engagesthe lower-.end of the lever 51themoment of `the lever about .its spring 58 .causes .a .reaction of thetongue 63 against the shaft end 6l. 'I'he shaft end is formed with amilled .cut as shown. which'lies at a small-angle on the order of 3.5from la perpendicular to the shaft axis and which preferablyextendsthrough half only of the :shaft end. When .the shaft '.52 .is rotated bya vsetting knob ..64 .on .the exterior of .the casing, the vtongue .53is moved. .in a .direction parallel with the shaft axis to swing vthe.lever -51 about its vpivotspring 58 thereby .changing .the temperatureat which the lower end of the lever 51 engages the spring .56. When thevmold .is relatively cool, the rod 52 engaging the upper end of arm 54holds the 'tripper bar '55 in. its upper position engaging a shoulder on`the stop 5| as seen in Figure 4. As the temperature increases, thematerial of the mold plate will expand 'at a more rapid rate than therod 52 al- .end of lever 4t5.

It will-be apparentthat thepoint vat vwhich the llower-end of fleverl51engages the spring so that the tripper ibar v55 starts `to pivotdownward is determined -by the 'adjustment of the knob 64 so that thektemperature at which tripping `'will occur can easily be lset. The knob`6-4 may "ne 'calibrated to indicate lighter or darker baking'operations or in any other desired manner -as shown in Figure 2.

With this yconstruction it Willj'be seen that the mold plate itselfforms a part of the thermostatic control inechanism so that thecontrolwill be responsive to the average temperature of the mold platethroughout its length to provide a uniform control regardless of overfilling or under filling of certain of the cavities. Thus very uniformbaking is obtained.

Damper control According to one feature `of the invention, 1rotation ofthe mold after tripping the latch is damped to prevent too rapidmovement which might damage the mechanism or the baked articles. As bestseen in Figures 8, 9 and 1'0, a damper link G5 is rotatably mounted onthe hollow pivot shaft l26 yand extends downward between the inner wallI3 and the end wall of the casing. At its lower end the lever 55 isconnected to a piston rod 55 which 'carries `a piston 51 sldably ttinginto a cylinder xedly mounted in the housing. The piston may-comprise apair of washers `'6.1! and 1| secured on the piston rod on oppositesides of aiiexiblegasket 12, the washer 59 on the lower side of thepiston being substantially Ilarger than the washer 1I on the upper sideof thepiston.

To move the lever 65 when the mold is inverted and Vto make the dashpoteffective during .only the latter portion of -the movement whenthedamping is required, the 'mechanism shown in Figure lvl is employed.This mechanism `com- .prises .a disc 15 Iwhichis rigidly secured to thepivotsh-aft Y25 and which is formed with ran angular extension 14atone'end to'engage the upperprojecting end of thelever55.

When the mold is in litsbaking position, the

yparts will occupy the position lshown lin Figures 8 and 9A with theprojection 14 out of .engagement `with-theend of the-lever 65.Astheimold is swung clockwise, it ycan swing freely lduringapproximately the first of Vits travelat which point the projection `14will 'engage the upper Further rotation of the mold plate will rock thevlever 55 lclockwise to 'pull the .piston 6.1 out vof the cylinder 165.During this .movement the `gasket -12 .is supported throughout most ofits. areabyfthe -large washer 5.9 so that it .is relativelystiff'and-will-offer considerable .resistance to `the'ilow of air `pastit. Thus the vpiston andcylinder provide an 'eiective dashpot to dampthe final turning movement of the mold plate. When the mold plate isswung back from its inverted to its baking position, the piston will beforced into the cylinder. During this time the gasket is supported onlyby the small washer 1l so that its edge can flex easily to offer minimumresistance to movement of the mold plate.

Mold cooking After the mold has been inverted to remove the bakedarticles, it is returned to its upright position by turning a handle 'I5on the outside of the casing concentric with the knob t4. The handle 15is connected to a tubular shaft l which is concentric with the tubularpivot shaft 26 and which rotatably surrounds the same. At its inner endthe shaft 'I6 carries a disc 'H which, as shown in Figure 11, is formedwith an offset tooth portion 'i8 to engage a similar portion i9 on thedisc i3. During inversion of the mold, the disc 'i3 and pivot shaft '25-can turn freely without affecting the disc ll. This is because of thefact that the disc H is normally rotated to a position in which theteeth 'i8 and '5:3

are circumferential-ly spaced so that the mold plate can turn to itsfully inverted position before the teeth are brought into engagement.

'Lo cock the mold the handle i5 is turned, turning with it the disc 'ilthrough the engagement of the teeth 'ES and it. This will also turn thedisc i3 the pivot shaft 25 and the mold plate. When the mold platereaches its upright position, the latch mechanism described above willengage to hold it upright at which time the handle i5 can be returned toits normal position to move the tooth 'I8 away from the tooth i9.

Door operation During turning of the handle l5 to cook the mold, meansare provided to open the upper doors I l so that when the mold is in itsupright baking position the doors will be opened and batter can beplaced in the mold cavities. For this purpose the shaft i5 carries adoor cam 8i which is shaped as best seen in Figures 13 and 14. The doorsare normally urged closed by a torsion spring 82 which has extensionscrossing the pivot shaft l5 for the doors and connected respectively tothe doors. To open the doors, each door carries a roller t3 whichrespectively engage the opposite lobes of the cam 8|.

When thehandle l5 is in its normal position the cam 8l will occupy theposition shown in Figure 13 so that the spring 82 can close the doorslil. During turning of the handle 'i5 to cock the mold, the cam 8l willrotate counter-clockwise from the position shown in Figure 13 to thatshown in Figure 14. During this rotation the cam lobes engage therollers 83 to force the doors progressively farther open until the moldis within 15 of its upright position. At this time each door will haveturned approximately 44 from its closed toward its open position, andthe cams are so shaped that further rotation thereof will produce noadditional movement of the doors. Thus when the handle 'i5 has beenturned to cock the mold and open the doors, there is nothing acting onthe handle tending to return it so that the parts will remain in thisposition until the handle is again turned manually to its normalposition. At this time batter can be placed in the mold cavities. Whenthis operation is completed, the handle 'i5 can be turned back to itsnormal position to permit the spring 82 to close the doors for a bakingoperation.

The heating I-Ieat for the baking operation is preferably suppliedelectrically as best seen in Figures 5 and 15. The electrical circuitcomprises a power Vin' Figure 3.

supply cord Bil' which may extend through asuitable grommet t5 in theend of the casing as seen The supply cord is connected to electricalheating elements t6 in parallel, thereupply of current to both of theheating elements being simultaneously controlled through a thermostatindicated generally at t? in Figure l5.

The heater elements are mounted in housings 8G as shown in VFigure 5whichV are fixeoly supported in the casing between the end plates i2 andI3 at opposite sides of the mold plate. Preferably the insides of thehousingsY 8S are plated or polished to increase their radiation and areopen, as shown at t, in register with the mold plate. Preferably theopenings t9 are defined by relatively narrow strips registering r. iththe cavities in the mold plate to prevent the baked articles fromdropping from the mold plate before it is inverted.

To distribute the heat uniformly over the mold plate, a heat conductingpan @i is secured to and underlies the mold plate to forni therewith ahollow chamber. lThe pan iii may be formed of a good conductive materialsuch as aluminum and may be darkened Yon its outer surface in registerwith the heating elements to increase its absorption of radiant heat.lhe outer surface of the pan is preferably plated or polished tominimize radiation while its inner surface may be roughened or darkenedto promote radiation, and the lower surface of the mold plate and theejector members may similarly'be darkened to increase absorption. Y

During a baking operation the pan di will become relatively highlyheated by radiation from the heating elements and will, in turn, radiateheat uniformly over the lower surface of the molds. Thus the mold plateis heated uniformly throughout to produce uniform baking oi batter inall of the cavities.

in addition to heating the mold plate, the space between the mold plateand the doors la which forms, in effect, an oven space may also beheated from the heater elements. For this purpose the doors are formedof a good heat conducting material such as aluminum and may be blackenedon the inside to promote the absorption and reradiation of heat. Toprevent excessive heating of the sides of the mold cavities adjacentheating elements, heat shields 92 may be provided extending upward fromthe insides of the housings 88 to a point adjacent but spaced from theinner surfaces of the doors. Due to the heat shields direct radiation ofheat from the elements to the batter in the cavities is prevented sothat excessive cooking at localized points is eliminated.

During baking the covers lli absorb heat from the heating elements andre-radiate it on to the tops of the cavities to produce an even anduniform browning of the baked articles at their tops.

Thermostatic control The supply of heat by the heating elements isautomatically controlled in response to the temperature in the ovenspace normally to maintain this temperature substantially constantduring a baking operation. For this purpose the thermostat 3l isprovided which, as shown in Figures i3 to 10, is mounted adjacent thecover ifi within the oven space.

The thermostat di comprises a bimetal blade 93 which is ixedly mountedat one end on a bracket secured to the casing and a flexible blade 94similarly mounted on the casing. The blades 9V 93 and 94 are insulatedfrom each other and carry contacts at their free ends which when engagedcompletesl a circuit through the heating elements 86. In normaloperation the contacts are engaged except when the temperature is Yabove the value for which they are set, and when the temperature exceedsthis value the thermostatic blade 93 will kmove away from'the blade 94to interrupt the circuit. n this way the thermostat normally maintainsa'constant temperature in the oven space.

To set the normal cooking temperature, the blade 94 can be moved to anyone of a number of positions. For this purpose the lblade 94 carries anarm 95 extending at a right angle therefrom and preferably insulatedtherefrom. The arm 95 f extends through a bracket 9@ secured to thehousing and, as best seen in Figure 12, is formed with a slot in whichthe arm 95 can move. A stop arm 91 projects across the slot and isadapted to be engaged bythe arm 95 to limit upward movement of the arm95 in response to the resilience of the spring contact 94. By bendingthe stop arm 91, the position of the spring contact 94 can be determinedto set the temperature at which the heating circuit will be maintained.

According to one of the features of the invention, the temperaturemaintained by the thermostat is reduced to a warm temperature valuewhenever the mold is in inverted position or the doors are opened. Forthis purpose the discs 'i3 and 'Il are formed as cams or eccentrics toact on the arm 95 and adjust the thermostat.

As shown in Figures 8 to l0, when the doors are closed and the mold isin its upright position,

both of the discs 13 and 11 are turned to a position to allow the arm 95to rise to its maximum upward position in engagementwith the stop fingerill. This is the normal baking position in which the baking temperaturewill be maintained in the oven space. When the mold inverts at the endof a cooking operation as shown in Figure 10, the disc 73 will be turnedto swing the arm 95 downward and move the exible contact 94 away fromthe thermostatic blade 93. With the blade 94 in this position thethermostat will maintain a lower temperature in the oven spacesufficient to keep the cooked articles in the pan I6 warm but notsufcient to overcook them.

Similarly, when the doors are open as shown in Figure 9, the disc l1 isturned to swing the arm 95 down and move the blade 94 away from thethermostatic blade 93 to set the thermostat for a lower temperature.This operation not only prevents overcooking of any articles retained inthe warming pan but also results in a substantial saving in heatingcurrent.

Operation To operate the device as so far illustrated and described, thecord may be plugged into any suitable source of heating current, and thehandle l may be turned to cock the mold and to open the doors.Preferably for the rst operation the device is preheated by closing thedoors and allowing it to operate through one cycle before inserting anybatter. Following the pre-heating cycle the mold may be again rightedand the doors opened so that batter can be placed in the several moldcavities.

With the knob 64 set for the desired baking and the cavities filled withbatter, the doors I4 may be closed by turning the knob 'i5 to its normalposition. Even though the mold was initially at its trippingtemperature, insertion of the cold l batter will cool it to atemperature substantially below the tripping temperature which fornormal operation might be about 325 F. As soon as the doors are closed,the batter will start baking and the mold temperature will graduallyrise to its tripping temperature of about 325 F'. When the moldtemperature reaches the tripping value, the latch 44 will be released asdescribed above, in connection with latch operation to permity thespring 42. to invert the mold. During mold inversion the baked articles.will be loosened from the mold cavities and ejected therefrom uponcompletion of .mold inversioninto the warming pan it. If it is desiredto leave the articles in the warmingpan, the device may be leftin thetrip.- ping condition at which'time thethermostatwill maintain a reducedwarm temperature on the order of 200 F. This will keep the bakedarticles warm without causing overcooking or burning thereof so thatthey can be removed for use at any desired time. For baking a secondbatch of articles, the handle l5 may be turned toV again invert the moldand open the doors so that batter can be placed in the cavities.

lt will be seen that with the present invention articles toy be bakedfrom batter, such as muns, biscuits, popovers and the like, can be bakedautomatically without requiring any handling 0f hot molds or` of therelatively fragile freshly 'baked articles. Uniformity of baking isinsured by the oven space thermostat which maintains the cookingtemperature constant and by control termination of Vthe baking operationin response to the mold temperature. ln this way differences inV battersare automatically compensated so that very highly uniform results areobtained.

While one embodiment of the invention has been shown anddescribed indetail herein, it will be understood that this is illustrative only andis not to be taken asa definition of the scope of the invention,reference being had for this purpose to the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a cooking device for cooking batter, a mold structure comprising aplate formed with a cavity having a plurality of spacedopenings in its.sides and an opening in its bottom, a closure having Vspaced portionstting movably into the side openings and a portion fitting movably intothe bottom opening to form with the plate a substantially smooth surfaceat the interior of the cavity, and means for moving the closure first inone direction and then in the other relative to the plate.

2. In a cooking device for cooking batter, a mold structure comprising aplate formed with an opening therein, integral spaced fingers on theplate adjacent the opening extending downward therefrom and inward attheir lower ends partially to define a batter receiving cavity, aclosure including a central portion to t slidably between the ends ofthe fingers and upwardly eX- tending spaced fingers fitting slidablybetween the lingers on the plate, and means to move the closure first inone direction and then in the l other relative to the plate.

I A cooking device for cooking batter comprising a frame, a platepivoted on the frame on a horizontal axis, the plate being formed with acavity having and opening therethrough extendingpartially over thebottom and onev side of the cavlty, a closure tting slidably in theopening and forming with the plate a substantially smooth mold surfaceat the interior of the cavity,

1 l the plate and closure being rotatable on the frame from an uprightto an inverted position, and means connecting the closure to the frameto movie it first in one direction and then in the other relative to theplate as the plate and closure are rotated.

e. Acooking device for cooking batter comprising a frame, a platepivoted on the frame on a horizontal axis, the plate being formed with acavity having an opening therethrough extending partially over the'bottom and one side of the cavity, a closure tting sldably in theopening and forming with the plate a substantially smooth rnold surfaceat the interior of the cavity, the plate and closure being rotatable onthe frame from an upright to an inverted position, a cam track on theframe, and a follower movable in the cam track .and connected to theyclosure to move it iirst in one direction and then in the other as theplate and closure are rotated.

5. A cooking device for batter comprising a frame, a substantially atplate pivoted on the frame on a horizontal axis and formed with anopening therethrough, integral spaced iingers on the plate adjacent theopening extending downward and inward at their lower ends partially todenne a batter receiving cavity, a closure including a central portionto iit slidably between the ends of the ngers and upwardly extendingspaced ngers tting slidably between the lingers on the plate, the plateand closure being rotatable on the frame from an upright to an invertedposition, and means connecting the closure to the frame to move theclosure first in one direction and then in the other relative to theplate as the plate and closure are rotated.

6. A cooking device for batter comprising a frame, a substantially fiatplate pivoted on the frame on a horizontal axis and formed with cavitieslying on opposite sides of the axis, each of the cavities having anopening therethrough, la closure member associated with each cavity andiitting slidably in the opening therein, a member pivoted on the plateon an axis parallel to the plate axis and operatively connected to theclosure members, the frame being formed with a cam surlace, and anextension on the last named member engaging the cam surface to rock themember iirst in one direction and then in the other as the plate isrotated.

7. A cooking device for batter comprising a mold plate formed with acavity to receive batter, a dished pan rigidly secured to the mold platewith its edge portions extending around the edges of the mold plate andits bottom underlying the mold plate and spaced therefrom, heating meansat the outer sides of the pan and directly exposed to the pan totransmit heat thereto, and .an inverted dished cover overlying andspaced from the mold plate with its edges spaced laterally beyond theheating means and having a portion thereof directly exposed to theheating means to be heated thereby.

8. A cooking device for batter comprising a mold plate formed with acavity to receive batter, a dished pan secured to the mold plate withits edge portions extending around the edges of the mold plate and itsbottom underlying the mold plate and spaced therefrom, a irame, meansmounting the mold plate and pan on the frame for pivotal movement abouta horizontal axis, heating elements iixedly carried by the frame at theouter sides of the pan, and means 'for turning the mold plate and panabout said axis.

9. A cooking device ior batter comprisingV a mold plate formed withavcavity to receive batter, a dished pan secured to the mold plate withits edge portions extending around the edges of the mold plate and itsbottom underlying the mold plate and spaced therefrom, a frame, meansmounting the mold plate and pan on the frame for pivotal movement abouta horizontal axis, heating elements nxedly carried by the frame at theouter sides of the pan, an inverted dished cover overlying and spacedfrom the mold plate with its edges spaced laterally beyond the heatingelements and directly exposed to the heating elements to be heatedthereby, and means to turn vthe mold plate and pan about said axis.

l0. A cooking device for batter comprising a mold plate formed with acavity to receive batter, a dished pan secured to the mold plate withits edge portions extending around the edges oi the mold plate and itsbottom underlying the mold plate spaced therefrom, a frame, meansmounting the mold plate and pan on the frame for pivotal movement abouta horizontal axis, heating elements iixedly carried by the frame at theouter sides of the pan, an inverted dished cover overlying spaced 'fromthe mold plate with its edges spaced laterally beyond the heatingelements and directly exposed to the heating elements to be heatedthereby, baiiies at the inner sides of the heating elements extendingtoward the central part of the cover to block the central portion of thecover and the top edge portions or" the mold plate irorn directradiation from the heating elements, means to turn the mold plate andpan about said axis.

11. A cooking device comprising a mold to hold an article to be cooked,ejecting means associated with the mold to eject a cooked article thereufrom, means to move the mold and ejecting means from a cooking to anejecting position, heating means to heat the mold, a movable covermovable from a closed position over the mold to an open position, athermostat controlling the heating means, and connections from thethermostat to the cover and the moving means to set the thermostat to alow temperature position when the moving means is in its eject-ingposition or the cover is open.

l2. A cooking device comprising a mold to hold an article to be cooked,ejecting means associated with the mold to eject a cooked articletherefrom, means to move the mold and ejecting means from a cooking toan ejecting position, heating means to heat the mold, a movable covermovable from a closed position over the mold to an open position, athermostat controlling the heating means, the thermostat including anadjustable blade and a bimetal blade movable into and out of engagementwith the adjustable blade in response to temperature, and meansconnecting the adjustable blade to the cover and the moving means to setthe adjustable blade to a low temperature when the moving means is itsejecting position or the cover is open.

13. A cooking device comprising a mold plate formed with a cavity tohold an article to be cooked, ejecting means connected to the mold plateto eject a cooked article thereirom, elosure means iitting over the moldplate and forming therewith an oven space, heating means to heat themold plate and oven space, thermostatic means responsive to thetemperature in the oven space controlling the heating means to maintainthe temperature constant, second thermostatic means responsive to thetemperature of the moldplate to control the ejecting means,

Y plate and movable relative 13 and means controlled by operation of theejecting means to set the i'lrst thermostatic means for a lowertemperature.

14. A cooking device comprising a frame, a mold plate pivoted on theframe on a horizontal axis and formed with a plurality of cavities toreceive batter, ejecting means carried by the mold plate and movablerelative thereto to eject cooked batter from the cavities, meansconnecting the ejecting means to the frame to operate the ejecting meanswhen the plate rotates about the axis, closure means covering the plateand forming therewith an oven space, heating means to heat the moldplate and oven space, thermostatic means responsive to the oven spacetemperature controlling the heating means, and second therinostaticmeans responsive yto the mold plate temperature to control turning ofthe mold plate from a cooking to an ejecting position, said secondthermosuatic means including an elongated rod extending adjacent andthroughout substantially the full length or the mold plate.

15. A cooking device comprising a frame, a mold plate pivoted on theframe on a horizontal axis and formed with a plurality of cavities toreceive batter, ejecting means carried by the mold plate and movablerelative thereto to eject cooked batter from the cavities, meansconnecting the ejecting means to the frame to operate the ejecting meanswhen the plate rotates about the axis, closure means covering the plateand forming therewith'an oven space, heating means to heat the moldplate and oven space, thermostatic means responsive to the oven spacetemperature controlling the heating means, and second thermostatic meansresponsive to the mold plate temperature to control turning of the moldplate from a cooking to an ejecting position, said second thermostaticmeans including a rod having different thermal characteristics than themold vplate extending along and connected at its ends to the mold plate.

16. A' cooking device comprising a frame, a mold plate pivoted on theframe on a horizontal axis and formed with a plurality of cavities toreceive batter, ejecting means carried by the mold plate and movablerelative thereto to eject cooked batter from the cavities, meansconnecting the ejecting means to the frame to operate the ejecting meanswhen the plate rotates about the axis, closure means covering the plateand forming therewith an oven space, heating means to heat the moldplate and oven space, thermostatic means responsive to the oven spacetemperature controlling the heating means, resilient means urging theplate to turn to its ejecting position, a latch to hold the plate in itscooking position, a second thermostatic means responsive to the moldplate temperature to control the latch, and means operated by turning ofthe mold plate to set the rst named thermosatic means to a lowertemperature. .l

17. A cooking device comprising a frame, a mold plate pivoted on theframe on a horizontal axis and formed with a plurality of cavities toreceive batter, ejecting means carried by the mold thereto to ejectcooked batter from the cavitie means connecting the ejecting means tothe frame to operate the ejecting means when the plate rotates about theaxis, closure means covering the plate and forming therewith an ovenspace, heating means to heat the mold plate and oven space, thermostaticmeans responsive to the oven space temperature controlling the heatingmeans, resilient means urging the plate to turn to its ejectingposition, a latch to hold the plate in its cooking position, anelongated rod extending along the mold plate and connected thereto atone end, the rod having diierent thermal characteristics than the moldplate, and means connecting the other end ofthe rod and the mold plateto the latch to release the latch when the mold plate and rod reach apredetermined temperature.

18. A cooking device comprising a frame, a mold plate pivoted on theframe on a horizontal axis and formed with a plurality of cavities toreceive batter, ejecting means carried by the mold plate and movablerelative thereto to eject cooked batter from the cavities, meansconnecting the ejecting means to the frame to operate the ejecting meanswhen the plate rotates about the axis, closure means covering the plateand forming therewith an oven space, heating means to heat the moldplate and oven space, thermostatic means responsive to the oven spacetemperature controlling the heating means, resilient means urging theplate to turn to its ejecting position, a latch to hold the plate in itscooking position, an elongated rodextending along the mold plate andconnected thereto at one end, the rod having diierent thermalcharacteristics than the mold plate, a :flexible strip connected to thelatch and loaded in compression to hold the latch engaged, and meansoperated by relative movement of the rod and mold plate in response totemperature to bend the center portion of the strip.

BENJAMIN WILSON BADENOCH.

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